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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected a petition from several environmental groups that sought to postpone the construction of two new reactors at Southern Nuclear's Plant Vogtle in Georgia, saying there was no guarantee it would win in court. "Petitioners simply have not shown, from a [National Environmental Policy Act] perspective, that the Fukushima events or our potential regulatory responses to those events reveal environmental impacts that differ significantly from those the NRC has already studied," NRC Secretary Annette Vietti-Cook wrote in the decision.

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Used fuel pools and dry storage containers are safe, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a recent report. The report confirms earlier studies from the agency and the industry -- "namely that used fuel pools are safe because of the way that they are designed and built, because the depth of the water in the pools provides an additional layer of protection, and because of the extensive emergency response procedures that are in place to mitigate the impact of serious events," said Steve Kerekes, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defended its approval of the construction of two new reactors at Southern Co.'s Plant Vogtle in Georgia amid a lawsuit from environmental organizations. The suit said the NRC needed to consider all lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi incident in Japan and comply with National Environmental Policy Act standards before giving the approval. The incident was "significant," but the lessons aren't significant in a sense that would require a new NEPA study of the project's license, the agency said.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected a petition from several environmental groups that sought to postpone the $14 billion construction of two new reactors at Southern Nuclear's Plant Vogtle in Georgia, saying there was no guarantee it would win in court. "Petitioners simply have not shown, from a [National Environmental Policy Act] perspective, that the Fukushima events or our potential regulatory responses to those events reveal environmental impacts that differ significantly from those the NRC has already studied," NRC Secretary Annette Vietti-Cook wrote in the decision.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission personnel found no major environmental concerns that would hamper Southern Co. from constructing two new reactors at Plant Vogtle. In a draft report issued Tuesday, staff recommended that federal regulators permit the expansion. The NRC is still considering the proposed expansion.

A collection of environmental advocates is questioning the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's decision to issue an early-site permit for the proposed construction of two reactors at Georgia Power's Plant Vogtle. In the petition for review it filed with an appellate court, the coalition alleges the agency violated the Atomic Energy Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws by granting the permit.